By Rebecca Ruiz, Senior editor, msnbc.com
An error by an air traffic controller at the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport (GPT) in Mississippi almost resulted in a mid-air collision between a commercial jetliner and a small private plane, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The report, which was released Wednesday, said that the two planes, an Embraer and a Cessna, passed each other on June 19, 2011, at the same altitude, separated by approximately 300 feet laterally. The Embraer, bound for Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport, was an ExpressJet flight, operated by Continental/United Express, and was carrying 50 passengers and three crewmembers. No one was injured on either plane.
An investigation into the incident found that an air traffic controller cleared the Cessna for takeoff and then also cleared the Embraer for takeoff 16 seconds later from a runway that intersected with that of the Cessna's flight path.?
The air traffic controller did not appear to be suffering from sleep deprivation or fatigue, as have other controllers involved in safety incidents in the past year.
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However, the controller responsible for the incident told investigators that he did not anticipate the two aircraft might "conflict with each other." He was unaware that an investigation was underway until later that week and admitted that "he was not happy at GPT."
The controller's manager "professed frustration at the continual problems created by the [controller] and the inability to effectively correct his deficiencies," according to the report. The manager said that as a result of the incident, the controller was no longer allowed to work the local control position.
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Rebecca Ruiz is a senior editor at msnbc.com. Follow her on Twitter.
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